Love and Lies [Saioumami]

An Unexpected Visitor

Kokichi watched videos as he continued to quarantine in his room, content with his alone time. Without warning, Mr Amami (who'd told Kokichi to call him Hirohito) entered through the open door, an expression of suppressed rage covering his scowl. Feeling his heart stop, Kokichi curled his knees to his chest for protection, despite the pain, and threw his mobile to the side, turning it off. "Did I do something wrong?" He stuttered, hands trembling with fear as he saw his father's rage in Hirohito's eyes.

"No no, sorry if I scared you Kokichi!" Hirohito hurried, his gaze softening as he approached the man, pulling him into a calming hug. Kokichi had come to love hugs from the Amami's, feeling safe in the arms of people who'd been kind enough to take in a fourteenth person to care for. "I'm mad at someone else, it's nothing to do with you, I promise."

"Okay..." Kokichi mumbled, straightening out his joints, having become familiar with the clicking and cracking from his temporary, sedentary lifestyle.

"Speaking of which, there's someone here to see you. If you'd like to see them, I'll let them in, but if you don't then I'll make sure they leave. I'll be in the room the entire time to make sure you're okay and keep you safe." Hirohito smiled with the warm love of a father at the male.

"Is it my parents?" Kokichi felt like hell had swallowed him at the mere thought of seeing his parents again. He'd never felt happier than when he'd moved in with Rantaro, there was no way he'd ever go back to a life of gambling and pleasing abusers out of his own free will.

"No, I'm never letting them see you unless I legally have to or you want to, okay? Your visitor didn't want me to tell you who they were, they're worried that you'll refuse to see them. If you don't want them here when they come in, I'll make them leave, I promise," Hirohito reassured Kokichi.

"Alright then, send them in!" Kokichi grinned, ordering around the older man who laughed with him. Watching Hirohito leave the room, Kokichi shifted around so he sat up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. Smiling to himself, his grin dropped as the visitor in question entered the room carrying a large gift basket.

"Kokichi..." Kaho gasped, stopping in her tracks at the sight of her bandaged, beaten brother. Hirohito entered after her, standing next to the doorframe as he watched the family reunion. "I'm so sorry!" The female cried, placing the basket on the floor and hurrying towards the boy. Opening her arms for a hug, she abruptly stopped, dropping her arms to her side and stepping away. She must be worried about scaring me or something.

"You should be at school," Kokichi mumbled, staring at the bed. He didn't know how to feel, every emotion at once had spun around in his brain. Joy, sadness, anger, jealousy and fear flowed through his veins. No need to be angry at her Kokichi, it's not her fault. She might've never tried to do anything about our parents' abuse, but what could she do?

"Pulled a few favours and got people to cover for the story I'll tell Mum and Dad." Kaho stared at the ground, mumbling. Is she feeling... Guilty?  

"Why are you here? How'd you know where to find me?"

"Well, I figured you'd be with the people that took you, so I asked around the school to figure out where you were." Kaho rubbed the back of her neck. "Kokichi, I wanted to apologise for never doing anything. I never noticed what was happening and I should've."

"How could you not know?!" Kokichi shouted, unable to control himself. "They might've not beaten me in front of you but they talked about it! You saw me bloody and bruised and heard them bragging every night at dinner about kicking the shit out of me!" Tears soaked into his eyepatch, only dripping down one cheek. He noticed Hirohito jerk towards him for a moment before deciding to keep himself out of the drama.

"My entire life they've given me private lectures about how it was a normal way to discipline children. They told me never to tell you because you'd be upset. I was told if I behaved well, they'd never treat me like you, that you always misbehaved so you used up all your warnings, but I had a lot left. I'm sorry, if I knew that it was wrong I'd have done something! I've been researching abuse and I want you to know I'll do anything I can to help-"

"Just shut up!" Kokichi shouted, every word adding to the brewing pot of emotions. "Please... It's too much right now..." He mumbled, adding to the river of tears. No, stop, this isn't right. "Sorry Kaho, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at them." Listening to his sister's sobs, he watched her fall to her knees, weeping into her hands. "Hirohito, can we have some privacy? I'll be fine."

"Sure Kokichi, call me if you need to, okay?" Hirohito smiled, quickly hugging the male before leaving the room, keeping the door open. Wincing and groaning as he stood up, Kokichi stumbled over to Kaho and knelt beside her, wrapping his arms around her as she cried.

"Hey, it's alright, none of this is your fault. You're only fifteen, there was nothing you could do. Let's talk about something else, okay? What's in that basket?" Kokichi asked, attempting to calm his sister down with the only technique he knew how. Avoidance. Kaho sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her palms, her makeup smudging across her face.

"I'll show you. I didn't know how to apologise so I bought a bunch of things I know you like. Is that alright?" Kokichi nodded, crossing his legs as the two sat on the floor together. Kaho placed the basket in between them, pulling out the objects. Grape flavoured Panta (his favourite drink), boba tea, bubblegum, caramel candies, a wearable blanket, a purple, white and black scarf, a ladybug brooch and a pair of pink, cat ear headphones.

"How- How the hell did you manage to buy all of this?!" Kokichi stabbed the straw into his boba tea, taking a drink of the sweet beverage.

"I used up my allowance, and you aren't the only one who knows how to gamble," Kaho winked. "Remember when Mum and Dad took me out for the first time? I'm pretty sure you came home from a friend's house at the same time as us, the Saihara boy? Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up..."

"It's fine, don't worry about it, but you did get something wrong," Kokichi smirked at Kaho, locking his purple, mischievous eyes with her gold, confused ones. "Saihara isn't my friend, he's my boyfriend and my soulmate. Amami is too, he's the green-haired one. We're in a poly." Kaho's face grew into a grin, eyes sparkling with glee.

"I knew it! Oh my God, I knew something was up between you and Amami when he stayed over! You three are going to be adorable together, I just know it! If they hurt you, I'll kill them."

"No, you won't. If they hurt me I'll kill them myself!" The two laughed, wiping away their tears of joy and despair.

"Hey, I have a weird request," Kaho mumbled, hesitant to speak.

"Go on..."

"Can we uh, draw together?" She asked, pulling out two sketchbooks and a small pencil case. Opening the pencil case, pencils, fine liners, erasers and coloured pencils spilled everywhere. "You know, like how you taught me when I was a baby. You'd hold my hand to help me draw and show me how to colour in between the lines. You're the one who taught me what colours were."

"Wait, you remember all that?! You were like two years old!" Kokichi laughed, picking up a few supplies and sketchbooks, starting to draw.

"Looking back on everything, that's the only fond memory I have of our family. Everything else reminds me of something bad, but when you taught me how to do things like cooking, drawing and dancing, that all made me happy. Even if you weren't very good." Kaho chuckled. Kokichi scoffed and flicked her forehead playfully.

"You little asshole! I bet I can draw a better strawberry than you!" He challenged.

"You're on!" Kaho frowned, scrambling to find a pencil, not knowing Kokichi had hidden them behind his back to get a head start.